Current Stage
Public Comment Invited on Draft Guidelines
Proposal Details
Client: Bashan Wind Farm Pty Ltd
Premises: Bashan Wind Farm
Activity: wind energy facility
Class of Assessment: 2C
Important Dates
Assessment Commenced: 10/10/2024
Draft Guidelines Opened for Public Comment: 29/3/2025
Draft Guidelines Closed for Public Comment: 14/4/2025
The Proposal
Bashan Wind Farm Pty Ltd proposes to develop a 434 MW wind farm in the Central Highlands, located on the Bashan Plain to the south of the existing Cattle Hill Wind Farm between Lake Echo (to the west), Basham Road (to the east) and Victoria Valley Road (to the south). The proposed windfarm will have up to 56 turbines.
Infrastructure will include a permanent operations and maintenance building and storage area, 3 permanent wind monitoring masts, battery energy storage system, upgrading of existing access roads and construction of new access roads, temporary concrete batching plan, temporary construction compounds and site storage buildings and onsite construction accommodation camp.
The wind farm will be connected to the existing TasNetworks transmission line which runs through the project area, via a new switching yard and a central substation to be constructed on site. An additional two collector substations are likely to be required and constructed on site to complete the electrical layout. Each turbine will be connected to the central substation or collector substation via underground cables.
The project area is approximately 6793 hectares which is dominated by Private Timber Reserves, plantation forestry and open grazing land. Several threatened communities, flora and fauna species have been identified as being present, or likely to be present with the project area.
The proponent intends to lodge a permit application with Central Highlands Council under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993. The proposal will be subject to an environmental impact assessment by the Board of the EPA (the Board) in accordance with the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (EMPC Act).
The project has been determined to be a Controlled Action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (EPBC reference number 2024/10055) and will require assessment and approval under the EPBC Act, in addition to State and Local government requirements. It was determined that the proposed action will have, or is likely to have, a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance, protected under Part 3 of the EPBC Act, including:
- Listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A)
The proposal will be assessed by the EPA Board in the manner specified in the Bilateral Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Tasmania under Section 45 of the EPBC.
Notice of Intent
Bashan Wind Farm Pty Ltd, Central Highlands - NOI (PDF 2Mb)
Draft EIS Guidelines and Public Submissions
EIS Guidelines, prepared by the Board, assist the proponent in preparing the case for assessment. The guidelines identify the key issues which, based on the information in the Notice of Intent, are expected to be key issues for the assessment of the proposal.
Bashan Wind Farm Pty Ltd, Central Highlands - Draft EIS Guidelines (PDF 860Kb)
Public comment on the draft guidelines is invited from Saturday 29th March 2025 until Monday 14 April 2025 .
Submissions on the draft guidelines must be forwarded in writing to:
Chairperson
Board of the Environment Protection Authority
GPO Box 1550
HOBART TAS 7001
or by email to: Enquiries@epa.tas.gov.au
Please note that your correspondence may be publicly disclosed unless there is legitimate commercial, national security or environmental reason for confidentiality. If you would like your correspondence to remain confidential, please make a statement to that effect and indicate the basis upon which the request is made.